Portable and collapsible closet



M. E. BUCKLEY.

PORTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE CLOSET.

APPLICATION FILED AUG-31. I915.

1 1 93,867. Patented Aug. 8, 1916.

(524%; a WL MW J M/Q' yEE/LLMy MARY E. BUCKLEY, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

PORTABLE AND COLLAPSIBLE CLOSET.

Application filed August 31, 1915.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARY E. BUCKLEY, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Portable and Collapsible Closets, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to cupboards, closets and the like and particularly to a portable and collapsible closet for household use where built-in closets are not provided and which is adapted to be placed in the corner of a room for use and when not in use which is capable of being collapsed and folded up somewhat after the manner of a portable screen. A removable top and bottom are provided which may be easily placed in position when the closet is set up for use and as easily removed when it is collapsed. A single door is provided at the front which is hinged so as to swing inwardly and outwardly by means of double action hinges and is provided with a writing desk with a hinged front having a mirror which may be used when the desk is closed. The shelves are triangular in shape and halved so as to facilitate the collapsing of the closet and economize in space when the closet is collapsed for the purpose of shipping or storage. The shelves are hinged to the sides of the closet and means is provided for holding them in a true horizontal position when the closet is in use. Means is also provided for rigidly bracing the walls of the closet during use.

The following specification of the structure and use of my invention is a true and full description of the same from which an accurate idea of the scope may be had.

Referring to the drawings, in which similar characters of reference indicate the same parts throughout the several views Figure 1 is a front elevation; Fig. 2 is a sectional plan of the closet with the door shown in section in a plane both above and through the writing desk; Fig. 3 is a central transverse sectional elevation; Fig. 4 is an enlarged section of the walls showing the removable top and support therefor; Fig. 5 is a similar section showing the removable bottom and support therefor; Figs. 6 and 7 are enlarged views of the shelf supporting. means; 9 and 9 are respectively, a transverse section of the shelf brace and the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Au". 8, 1916.

Serial No. 49,131.

locking means therefor; Figs. and 11 are views of opposite ends of the wall bracing rod and eyelets; Fig. 12 is a longitudinal section of the turnbuckle for the same; Fig. 13 is a transverse section of the same.

The side walls of the closet are formed of upper and lower rails 1 and 2, vertical posts 3 and a and the panels 5, the panels being mortised into the rails and posts and glued so as to form a single piece wall. The posts 3 of the opposite walls are mitered on adjacent sides and are hinged together by means of hinges 6, the hinges being recessed into the posts so that the mitered sides of the posts may be forced tightly together when the closet is closed for rendering it practically dust proof.

The posts 4 are mitered on their inner sides 7 so as to form a surface at right angles to the door 8 to receive the door hinges 9 which are double acting and permit the door to be swung in either direction. The door 8 is suitably paneled above and below the desk and the central portion thereof between the panels 10 has a wide rail 11 on which the desk is mounted. The desk shelf 12 is supported on brackets 13 secured to the central rail 11 and has the ends 14, a top shelf 15 and a hinged desk door 16 which may be lowered downwardly into the position indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 3 by means of the hinges 17. A mirror 18 is set in the door of the desk and a suitable knob 19 is secured to the upper side thereof for raising and lowering it as may be desired. The ends of the upper shelf 15 of the desk have ribs 20 secured thereto, or brackets similar to those below the bottom shelf may be used if desired, for the purpose of preventing articles from falling off of the top.

The top 21 and the bottom 22 of the closet are reu'iovably held in position, and loosely so, on the cleats 23 and 24 which are secured to the walls of the closet by means of the screws and are adapted to be placed in such positoin on the cleats when the closet is set up for use and removed therefrom when it is collapsed.

The closet shelves are formed of the like members 26 which are hinged to the closet walls by means of the hinges 27 and are adapted to be raised into the position shown in Fig. 2 when the closet is set up for use and lowered against the walls when the closet is collapsed. The shelves are sustained in their raised position by means of metal channels 28 which are pivoted at one end on a hinge 29 secured to the edge of one of the members and the web 30 of which engages the outer edges of the shelf members while the sides of the channels extend inwardly above and beneath the shelf members. The free ends 31 of the channels are adapted to be held firmly in position on the shelf edges by means of the hasps 32 which are secured to the edges of the shelf members and are provided with the slot 33 which are engaged by a stud 3 L in the shelf 26 and are held tightly thereagainst by means of a knurled nut 35. \Vhen the closet is collapsed, the channels may be disconnected from the shelf members by removing the nut 35 from the stud 34 and moving the free ends of the channel outwardly until the shelf is disengaged therefrom, when both of the opposite shelf members of each set will fall downwardly against the walls.

The walls are braced firmly and held rigidly together by means of a pair of rods longitudinally disposed across the front portion of the closet and comprising two rod sections, 36 and 37 connected in the center by a turnbuckle 38, the opposite ends 39 and 40 of which are provided with internal right and left hand threads, respectively to receive and hold the ends of the rods 36 and 37. The rod 36 is permanently held and attached to the wall of the closet by means of an eye screw 41, and the rod 37 has a hook 42 which is adapted to be hooked into a similar eye screw 43 on the opposite wall, the turnbuckle 38 serving to draw the rods 36 and 37 tightly together and thus providing rigidity for the entire closet structure.

In the form of closet shown three shelves are provided, the upper shelf being for hats, the central shelf for other articles and the compartment between the lower shelf and the removable bottom for linen, etc. The central portion of the closet may be used for clothes and if desirable, the brace rods 36 and 37 may be so positioned as to afford means for hanging clothes hooks and hangers. Shelves may be placed in the writing desk compartment if desirable, and any desired number of additional shelves may be provided in the closet proper. When the closet is open and firmly set up, the removable top and bottom form suitable stops for the door, against the edges of which it rests when closed. The top and bottom may be permanently supported on the walls of the closet and hinged in a manner similar to the shelves, in the event that it is more convenient, in which event, however, the top and bottom would necessarily be extended almost. if not quite to the door so as to keep out the dust, and channel supports may also be provided therefor, as in the ease of the shelves.

The closet may be totally collapsed by releasing the tension on the rods 36 and 37 by the movement of the turnbuckle 38, releasing the hooks l2 from the eye screws and allowing the rods 36 and 37 to drop down against the walls. The shelf brace channels 23 may then be released from the hasps 32 by removing the nuts 35, when the shelves will fall into position against the walls. The shelves and cleats which hold the top and bottom occupy the same planes so that when the shelves are down and the top and bottom have been removed, the door may be swung inwardly against the wall to which it is hinged and both the door and this side of the closet may then be swung around against the opposite wall of the closet, as indicated by the broken lines in Fig. 2, thus completely collapsing the closet so that a minimum amount of space is occupied when it is folded. The door may be provided with either a lock or a latch 44, as may be found necessary or convenient and certain other features of my closet may be somewhat modified without enlarging the scope of or departing from the spirit of my invention.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire Letters Patent for, is

1. A portable closet having collapsible walls, normally held in rigid relation to each other, and a door movable inwardly and outwardly from said walls and forming the front wall of the closet, each of said walls having a plurality of pivoted shelf members cooperatively arranged to form shelves extending across the entire width of the closet in horizontal planes and rigidly braced together when in use, and removable ends forming a top and bottom for the closet and supported by said walls, all of said members being arranged to fold together in a compact form when the closet is collapsed.

2. A portable closet comprising a pair of pivoted side walls and a door pivoted to one of said walls and arranged to be locked to the opposite wall when the closet is in use, a plurality of paired shelf members carried pivotally by each of said walls and arranged to form horizontal shelves when the members of the pairs are extended, adjustable wall bracing means secured at opposite ends to and for holding the walls in rigid relationship, adjustable shelf supporting means carried by said shelves, and removable top and bottom supported by said walls forming end closures for the closet.

3. A portable closet comprising a pair of side walls pivoted together and arranged to fold together when not in use and to be held rigidly extended when in use, adjustable brace means for holding said walls extended, said ISO means being permanently attached to one of said walls and removably attached to the other of the walls, a double acting door forming the front of the closet and arranged to move in a single direction when said walls are extended and in an opposite direction when the walls are collapsed for folding against said walls, pivoted shelf members carried by said walls at opposite points and arranged to be supported in horizontal positions for forming shelves for the closet, removable top and bottom members supported by said walls when the same are extended, said walls, door, top and bottom forming a substantially dust-proof inclosure when arranged as described.

4. A portable closet comprising a pair of rigidly braced side walls when in use and capable of being folded together when not in use, a double acting door pivoted to one of said walls, capable of temporary attachment to the other wall and forming a front closure therefor, said door being provided with a combination writing desk and altar and arranged to fold into position against said walls when not in use, removable top and bottom members supported by said walls, and a plurality of paired shelf members pivotally attached to said Walls and capable of extension into horizontal positions for forming shelves for the closet, and means for adjustably supporting said shelf members in pairs in such positions.

Signed at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles and State of California, this 35 21st day of August, 1915.

MARY E. BUCKLEY. Witnesses:

J. D. HASKIN, GEO. E. MARLATT.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 

